March 1, 2011
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By Brian Ormiston
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - A 13-game homestand kicks off Wednesday when UCF hosts Maine at 4 p.m. in a baseball/men's basketball doubleheader. The Knights are 6-1 on the season and all nine players in the starting lineup are hitting at least .310.
Schedule:
Wednesday - Orlando, Fla. - 4 p.m.
Records:
Maine - 1-5 Overall, 0-0 America East
UCF - 6-1 Overall, 0-0 C-USA
Stadium:
Jay Bergman Field (2,230)
Series:
Tied, 2-2
Live Coverage:
UCFAthletics.com and Twitter.com/UCF_Baseball
Parking Information
Due to the hoops game vs. SMU at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena, parking for the baseball game will be located:
-Option #1: Baseball grass lot behind the baseball scoreboard: Alafaya Trail to McCulloch Rd. to Orion Blvd. to West Plaza Dr. to Baseball Lot (grass lot behind baseball scoreboard).
-Option #2: E8 surface lot located off of Orion Blvd: Alafaya Trail to McCulloch Rd. to Orion Blvd. to E8 Surface Lot.
Parking Map for March 2 in PDF Format
Upcoming Opponent
-Standing at 1-5, Maine is in the middle of a series at Stetson and wrap it up Tuesday night. The Black Bears picked up their first victory Monday, shutting out the Hatters, 6-0, with 17 hits.
-Maine holds a .297 team batting average while the pitching staff claims a 7.84 ERA and has walked 42 hitters in 49.1 innings of work.
The Series
-UCF and Maine will be meeting for the first time since 1997 when the Knights took two of three from the Black Bears. Maine captured the first game between the two clubs, a 2-1 decision in 1988.
A Look Back at the South Alabama Classic
-Facing a strong field in Mobile, UCF went 2-1 at the South Alabama Classic Feb. 25-27, taking down the host Jaguars as well as No. 29 Alabama and falling to Southeastern Louisiana.
-UCF hit .330 as a team in the three games, collecting 18 extra-base hits including three homers against the Crimson Tide. Darnell Sweeney paced the Knights by going 8-for-12 with four doubles.
Strong Numbers from the Three Hole
-After starting every game at shortstop as a freshman, Darnell Sweeney put on some muscle in the offseason and it is showing this year.
-Batting in the No. 3 hole, the sophomore leads C-USA with a .500 average, an .857 slugging percentage, six doubles and two triples.
-He was named the C-USA Hitter of the Week when he was 11-for-17 for a .647 average against B-CU, South Alabama, SLU and Alabama Feb. 22-27.
A Solid First Start for the Freshman
-A 26th round draft pick last summer, Ben Lively did not look like a freshman in his first-collegiate start.
-Facing No. 29 Alabama Feb. 27, the righty went 5.0 innings for the victory giving up just three hits and an unearned run in the first inning, striking out a pair.
-Lively is now scheduled to start this Sunday against Dartmouth at 12 p.m.
A Difficult Lineup for Opposing Pitchers
-UCF's starting lineup does not have any holes from 1-9 for pitchers to take a breather.
-Three different Knights are batting .444 or better (Darnell Sweeney .500, Chris Taladay .455, Derek Luciano .444) and all nine starters have at least a .310 average.
-And UCF also features three switch-hitters. Against Alabama's starting pitcher Tucker Hawley, the righty faced seven left-handed bats and gave up six runs in 3.0 innings in the Knights' victory.
-Hitting a school-record .343 as a team last year, UCF's average stands at .351 with 30 doubles, a .556 slugging percentage and a .429 on-base percentage in 2011.
Simple Numbers: Walks and Strikeouts
-At the plate: UCF has drawn 38 walks and only struck out 42 times.
-On the mound: Pitchers have issued 20 walks while striking out 69.
-UCF OBP - .429. Opponents OBP - .333.
It's Nice to Have Him Back
-Missing the first four games with an injury, 2010 C-USA Freshman of the Year Chris Taladay wasted little time to make his presence known in 2011.
-As a pinch-hitter at South Alabama Feb. 25, Taladay hammered the first pitch he saw for a RBI single. Two days later vs. Alabama, he went 3-for-5 with five RBI and two homers.
-Last year's starting third baseman, Taladay is seeing time in left field as Derek Luciano has had a successful start to 2011 with a .444 average.
Beau Ties Prestigious Record
-Carrying over a 21-game streak from last year, junior catcher Beau Taylor recorded a hit in the first five games of 2011 to tie Mike Myers (2001) for the longest hitting streak in UCF history at 26 games.
-Taylor's streak came to a close when he went 0-for-4 against Southeastern Louisiana Feb. 26, but took it out on Alabama the next day by driving in four and crushing a solo homer.